Tag Archives: humanity

Seven Stars to Guide Us

Illustration by AI + Dennis Rivers.

Seven Stars to Guide Us

Here are seven stars to guide us,
inspired by the Prayer of St. Francis,
and focused on the inward path of every heart:

FOR THE SAKE OF MY OWN WELL BEING
AND FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYONE’S WELL BEING…

1. This moment and this day
may I walk the path
from blind anger to calm awareness.

2. This moment and this day
may I walk the path
from obsessive resentment
to expansive forgiveness.

3. This moment and this day
may I walk the path
from paralyzing fear
to courage inspired by love.

4. This moment and this day
may I walk the path
from doubt about external security
to faith in the Power of Life within me,
the same Power that makes all things new.

5. This moment and this day
may I walk the path
from the isolation of seeing everyone as a threat,
to the community of embracing everyone as kin.

6. This moment and this day
may I walk the path,
from embarrassment and humiliation
in the eyes of others
to remembering that we are all evolving stardust,
capable of turning every mistake
into an opportunity to grow.

7.  This moment and this day
may I walk the path, from a disappointed
and wounded sense of entitlement,
to a deepening gratitude for the whole wide world,
for Breath, and Earth, and Sky and Life.

For each breath can be received
as an amazing gift from the Universe,
waiting to be transformed
through our journey into the Light
into something kind, creative and beautiful.

May we begin
with this present breath!

By Dennis Rivers. Illustration by AI + Dennis Rivers. 2024 
Public Domain ;  EarthPrayer.net/prayer-evolving/seven-stars/ 

Threats, Not Peace!

By Delaney Sheldon, age 14, grade 8, Virginia


Threats, not peace
Threats of creating what we fear most—a Third World tragedy
Threats of cutting the strings that connect us all together
Threats of destroying people’s land
People’s territory

Forget about peace
Why doesn’t peace ever show up?
Why is humanity always one step from falling off the steepest cliff?
Why do we sabotage ourselves and ruin others?
Why does publicity break us down? 

Fake news
Exaggerated news
REAL news
This news is very real
This news disrupts all peace that ever could be

So, what are we supposed to do?
Fight?
That’s not peace
Do we cut them off from the world?
And risk getting cut off too?
Definitely, not peace

Why should we even save them?
What have they done for us? 
If we throw the lifesaver to them in the deep water 
We could drown instead, sink straight to the bottom

But humans should save each other
Give them air
Bring them to the surface
Save them from their greatest fears

It’s our job as human beings
To let our humanity show
And to try to have peace on Earth
Because peace unites us all as one